Tag Archives: Ohio

Fifth Third Field

Ballpark Basics: A hard ticket to get – with good reason.

Ballpark Breakdown: Having sold out every game of the team’s existence, a Dayton Dragons ticket is one of the hardest to get in all of Minor League Baseball. So while beggars can’t be choosers, if you’re lucky enough to get your hands on one, you’ll be pleased to find that there really isn’t a bad seat in the house. And if you can’t score a ticket, it’s still worth stopping by during game time as there are multiple areas around the park where you can catch a glimpse of the game without even entering Fifth Third Field.

The lower seating bowl offers nice wide seats with cup holders. There is berm seating in the corners and it stretches behind the right field wall. Upstairs is the club level with luxury suites and Bud Light Party Decks in each corner. However, the most interesting seating is the Dragon’s Lair; here 306 seats jut out from the left field wall. This area is typically sold to groups and gives and an interesting perspective to the game.

Multiple viewing options are just one of the many aspects that make this place an enjoyable place to watch a game. There’s a whole crew of very friendly staff to keep the place running or help out if you have a question, and they even collect trash in between innings. Speaking of, the between inning activities are fun and don’t detract from the action on the field, we enjoyed the lot, but the mini-dugout dancers were one of our favorites.

On the beer front, there aren’t a ton of options. In fact, throughout the park Yuengling is typically going to be your best option. However, in the right field corner you will find Milano’s Tap Room-seek this out if you’re looking for craft beer. On top of a few bottle selections, they had ten different craft beers on tap when we visited, including some local brews. Aside from this, there is also a bar behind home plate and beer carts sprinkled throughout the park, but our money is going to be Milano’s.

The Dragons really have a lot going for them; with the play on the field, the friendly atmosphere that the staff provide, and the wonderful ballpark it is easy to see why they’re one of the hottest tickets around.

Warped Wing Brewing Co.

Rating: Home Run!

Brew Basics: Entertainment and good beer all day long.

Warped Wing is a good beer and a great time all wrapped up in one warehouse. The sparse building that houses the brewery is huge, with 25+ft ceilings, and large bay doors that give a great view of the city and sunsets. While the concrete and harsh lighting could stand to be warmed up by a few chains of bistro lights, that’s really our only suggestion.The place was brimming with happy people from the moment we arrived, early on a warm Tuesday evening. And though their square footage allowed for several long communal tables and plenty of other spots to sit or stand but we were lucky to grab two seats. There was pinball, a spot for live bands and an entertaining group playing a floor-sized game of Jenga with more skill than their tipsyness should have allowed. And though we didn’t know anyone else, people were friendly and there was more than enough to keep us entertained for hours. We took our time and tried four different styles.

Beer Breakdown:

Ermal’s Belgian Style Cream Ale(5.4 ABV/20IBU) Ermal’s is one of their beers that we saw in other places around Dayton, so we think this is one of their flagships. It is definitely different than any other cream ale we’d tried before, with an dirty white-wheat color and a light grassy-herbal smell. It was unfiltered, but the beer was fairly clear nonetheless. Highly carbonated with white grape and lemongrass notes.

The Radler (4.0 ABV/12 IBU) White grape juice color, not sparkly and no lacing. It smelled earthy like wet wheat but with none of the underlying sourness those palates usually bring. Light and sweet that tastes like a sparkling juice and had very little grapefruit – tang or citrus – and with so little carbonation, it was almost flat.

10 Ton Oatmeal Stout (7 ABV/30 IBU) Dark brown beer with a little tan lacing. Served a bit warmer and smells like raisin and dark licorice without the typical cooky or spice aromas. Jim thought it tasted like a light imperial rather than an average oatmeal stout, and it was not heavy, dry nor grainy.

Pirogue (9 ABV/24 IBU) Belgian black tripel with coffee. Smelled like anise and resin and carried a lot of flavor. The first sip was surprisingly bitter. Overall this was a strong, tart, imperial bitter. More like coffee grounds in both smell and aftertaste was also coffee and dry. Smooth and creamy, while still overall bitter. A big beer.

Dayton’s actually got a few fun craft brew options – we paired the Dragons with Warped Wing, but we found another Home Run in Toxic Brew Company. It’s our first bonus brewery in a while – so click here to read all about it!